Bewitched
by EpitomeofDistraction
Summary: InuYasha and the gang have been working hard lately, and Kagome decides to bring a little fun to the Feudal Era. Halloween is just around the corner! MirSan, possible InuKag
1. Chapter 1

Epitome of Distraction: Wow, it has been a while. Years, literally. I'm glad that I'm getting back in the fanfiction game. But first, a few disclaimers. I do not own InuYasha, or related characters, situations, or places. I do not own Halloween, because I do not think that's possible. So, you know, don't sue me.

Second Disclaimer. I have no idea if Halloween is celebrated in Japan, and I don't know how they do celebrate Halloween if they indeed do so. This story is not supposed to be based on realism. I mean...it's _fanfiction_ about a _time-traveler_ who meets a _dog-demon. _If I had to inform you that this wasn't based on realism, I'd be worried. =D

**Bewitched**

**Chapter 1**

Kagome climbed out of the Bone-Eaters well and looked around the grassy expanse of the meadow. She smiled to herself when she thought about the surprise she had in store for her friends. Lifting her backpack higher onto her shoulders, she headed off toward the village. 'Oh boy, this is going to be so much fun,' she thought. Halloween had been one of her favorite holidays growing up in Japan. Once she had started traveling in the Feudal Era, she had all but given up holidays. And bathing. And most normal things. Kagome sighed. Oh well. It would be nice to have a little time off from all the danger that she and the others went through all the time. Just one day of fun and games.

"Kagome!" the voice of Shippo called out from a distance. Kagome could she the kitsuyoukai bounding toward her. After just a few seconds, he was on top of her.

"Hey, Shippo! I've got a surprise for you!" The small demon excitedly responded with, "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! What is it? Oh boy!"

Kagome waggled a finger at him. "It's not just for you. We have to wait to get to the village."

Shippo hurried Kagome along. They were soon met by the sight of Miroku and Sango. Miroku was up to his usual trick, a group of young girls surrounded him, occasionally breaking into giggles at something he'd said or done. Sango was a short distance away from him, seemingly ignoring him. She was making a show of cleaning the Hiraikotsu, but from her tense body language it was apparent that she was paying attention to everything that the monk was doing.

Kagome called out to them, "Sango! Miroku! I'm back!" Sango stood up and waved. Miroku said his goodbyes to his fanclub, saying something that made them laugh again, and bowed off to meet Kagome and Shippo. They met at the entrance to the village and started walking to Kaede's hut. Sango and Miroku asked her about visit to the future. Shippo interrupted the small talk, saying excitedly, "Kagome says she has a surprise for us!"

Miroku raised an eyebrow at her. "Is this so, Lady Kagome?" She nodded.

Sango asked, "When will we be getting this surprise, Kagome?"

"Um, well, I guess we can do it whenever we find InuYasha."

Shippo jumped up and down. "Oh! I know where he is! He's in the forest!"

"Why don't you go get him and bring him back to Kaede's hut, okay Shippo?"

"Okay!" Shippo bounded off to find the hanyou.

A short time later, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku were sitting in Kaede's hut sipping tea. InuYasha burst into the hut, Shippo in his wake.

"What's this I hear about a surprise, wench?" InuYasha sat down.

Kagome stuck her tongue at him. "Hello to you, InuYasha. Yes, I did have a nice time while I was away. Thank you so much for asking!"

"Yeah, yeah. You were gone, now you're back. You told Shippo you had a surprise. It better be ramen."

Kagome ignored the ramen remark and pulled a large binder out of her backpack.

"What's that?" Shippo asked, sniffing it.

"First let me explain about Halloween. So – Halloween is a holiday – a day where people have fun and do things together. On Halloween, people dress up in costumes, and eat candy, and make jack-o-lanterns, and stuff like that. Sometimes people watch scary movies or do other things to try to be scared, or scare their friends. It's a lot of fun."

Shippo said, "Candy! I don't really understand that other stuff you said, but I like the candy part."

Miroku wore a bemused expression. "What is the point of this 'Halloween' day?"

Kagome thought about it. "I'm not sure there is a point, except to have fun. It's a way to take a break from whatever stuff is going on in your life by dressing up. And people try to scare themselves because it's fun, too. Like getting scared is a way to let yourself trust yourself. Or a way to get closer to someone you like, I guess. People used to only dress up as scary things like monsters or ghosts, but now you can pretty much dress up as anything you want to."

"What kind of things do people choose to dress as?" Sango asked.

Kagome beamed. "I'm glad you asked." She held up the binder. "This is full of pictures of costumes. All of these are available for me to get, so, I was thinking, if you guys were interested in doing this, you could pick out a costume for me to get for you."

She flipped open the book. "Here are pictures of angels." She pointed to the page. "The, um, skirt can be this short or longer. Hehe." She flipped the page. "And here are devils. I don't think the skirt comes longer with this one. But I think the giant high heels are optional. Oh! And here's a devil costume for men."

InuYasha blinked. "What's wrong with his legs?"

Kagome looked at the picture. "He's just wearing black pants. I don't see anything wrong with them."

"That's not his skin! Those pants are so tight, it looks like he's not wearing anything!"

Kagome scowled at the picture. "I guess they are a little tight, yeah. But that's the point." She grinned sheepishly.

Miroku nodded. "I understand now what the reason behind Halloween is. Please leave the binder here with me so I may examine it more thoroughly." He grabbed the binder quickly and started ushering the others out.

"Houshi-sama, what are you doing!?" Sango asked as he tried to pull her out of her sitting position.

"Nothing, nothing. I just want to have some time alone with these pictures of young ladies....and men! Oh yes, there are men there too, aren't there? Haha! It's important that I make sure these pictures are spiritually cleansed, or something. You know, monk business and all that. I'll see you later now!"

InuYasha smacked him upside the head. "Get a grip on yourself you dirty pervert. You're not getting alone time with anything, got that?"

A massive tic in Sango's forehead throbbed as she looked aggressively at the ground. "Houshi-sama. You. Are. Disgusting." She grabbed the binder from his hands, and stormed away.

Kagome angrily put her finger sharply into Miroku's chest. "Great going, hentai! Now Sango's not going to want to participate in my Halloween! And who could blame her! Geez, you're such a frustration!" She stalked off in the direction Sango had gone.

Miroku looked down at Shippo. "I suppose you're mad at me too, are you?"

Shippo crossed his arms. "You're darn right I am. If Sango and Kagome aren't going to do this Halloween thingy, then I won't get any candy at all. And it will be all your fault."

Miroku sighed. "Can I help that I am a man? All men have desires. Why can no one understand?"

InuYasha rolled his eyes, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yeah, Miroku. You're just an ordinary man. All men grope women and talk about privately looking at girls in front of other people. Other _female_ people. Yep, just like every other man."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Sango? Hey Sango, where are you?" Kagome jogged across the grass, looking for her friend.

"I'm over here, Kagome." Sango was sitting under a tree, twisting the hem of her long skirt between her fingers.

Kagome sat down next to Sango. The schoolgirl hesitated for a minute or two, unsure of what to say. Finally, she turned to Sango. "Miroku is an idiot. But he doesn't mean to do anything to upset you."

Sango gave a unexpected smile. "I know. Houshi-sama is a fool." She looked away. "I don't know why I let these things get to me. It's not as if they're any of my concern."

Kagome looked at the ground. 'Poor Sango,' she thought. 'She won't even admit to herself how much she likes Miroku. That stupid horny monk will ruin everything!' Kagome smiled sheepishly. "I know I sound single-minded, but I hope you won't let this stop you from having fun with Halloween."

The demon-slayer looked at the binder she had snatched from Miroku's hands. "No. It did sound like fun. I didn't really understand a lot of the things you were talking about, like the 'scary movies' you mentioned, but we've all been under a lot of stress lately. I think we're due for a little light-hearted fun."

Kagome smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way. Not all of the costumes in that book at quite so....scandalous. And I think you'd have fun carving pumpkins!"

Sango picked up the binder and opened it to a random page. It showed male and female models wearing pirate outfits. "What are these people supposed to be, Kagome?"

"Oh, those are pirates," Kagome said. She pointed to a picture. "That's what I'm going to be. Isn't it cute? I like the boots, and it might be nice to start wearing pants, now that the weather has been getting colder."

"But what is a pirate? I don't recognize anything about them."

"Um, what's a pirate? Let's see." She jumped up and put one hand on her hip, her other hand curled like a hook. "Arr, me mateys! Hoist up the mizzen mast and buckle down the lines! Thar be foul seas ahead! Bring me sword and a swig o' rum, ahoy!"

Sango blinked in confusion. Then she started laughing. "I have no idea what you just said, but that was so fun to watch!"

Kagome covered one eye and waved her hooked hand around. "I lost me hand to a sea turtle that was tryin' ta steal me treasure. And I lost my eye when a sea gull pooped in it!"

Sango giggled, "You can't lose an eye because of that!"

Kagome scowled her meanest pirate scowl and said, "It was me first day with the hook."

Sango erupted with laughter. "Tell me, Kagome, what else can a person dress as?"

The schoolgirl dropped to her knees in front of her friend and the binder. Smiling widely, happy that Sango had been cheered up, she said, "Here, I'll show you."

- - - - - - - - - -

A while later, Kagome went into town, looking for InuYasha and Miroku. She had spent an hour or so looking at costumes with Sango, until the young demon-slayer had decided upon one that she liked. Now she was convinced to get her other friends into the spirit as well. Wandering around the dirt paths of the village, she found Miroku in the garden with Kaede.

"Good afternoon, young time-traveler," the old priestess greeted her. "Miroku told me that ye plan to celebrate a small holiday from your era, is this so?"

Ignoring the opportunity to mention Miroku's previous reaction to her ideas, she nodded. "That's right. I just thought that we all deserved some fun for a change. You know, lighten the mood a little."

Kaede nodded sagely. "I think it is a wonderful idea. Ye are all so young, but do not get to truly enjoy your youth as others do. I'm sure that ye can take a few days off without anything too terrible happening in the world. So, tell of this 'Halloween'."

Kagome gave a small explanation of the holiday to Kaede. "Actually, I was hoping I could borrow Miroku to talk about Halloween."

The monk rested the hoe he'd been using against the fence and followed Kagome out of the garden and down the path. "What was it that you wanted to discuss with me, Lady Kagome?"

Without looking at him, Kagome responded, "First of all, let's get one thing straight. I want to have fun. I do not want any drama, and Sango definitely doesn't want drama. So I'd appreciate it if you would stop being, you know, _you_ for a few days."

Miroku's face didn't change. "I'm not entirely sure to what you are referring."

"Oh don't you play innocent with me. You know exactly what I'm referring to, and you know why it isn't okay. So let's move on from that. What do you want to be for Halloween?"

"Excuse me? What do I want to be? In what manner?"

"The costumes I was showing you earlier. What kind of costume do you want to have?"

Miroku hesitated, looking down at himself. "You know, I've really only worn a monk's garb since I was child. I don't think I'd be comfortable in much anything else."

"Oh, don't be a spoilsport. It's only clothing, and it's only for one day. Sango, InuYasha, and Shippo all really only wear the one outfit as well, but no one else has complained. Sango had a lot of fun picking out her costume."

Miroku gave Kagome a sideways glance, his interest piqued. "Lady Sango has already picked out a costume? Is it the devil's outfit?"

She threw up her hands. "No, you freaking pervert. Gawd!" She crossed her arms. "Sango asked me not to tell anyone what she picked anyway. So you're just going to have to live with the torture." She sighed. "But seriously. What do you want to wear?"

Miroku knew he would have to pick something. He wasn't really that interested in this holiday idea, but if Sango was having fun with it, then he wanted to be a part of it to. "Why don't you show me that book again."

"Not so fast there, boy," Kagome cajoled. "I'll show you the men's clothes, but I'm not just gonna hand the binder over to you." Under her breath, she added, "You're worse than InuYasha, all the trouble we have to go through over you."

"Hmm. Fine then. Please show me my options."

The schoolgirl stealthily rustled through some pages in the book. "Oh! Here's a good one." She flipped the book around to show a picture of a man and woman in ancient Greek clothing.

Miroku leaned in for a closer look. "These clothes are like nothing I've ever seen before. Who are these people, and why are they dress so?"

"Uhh... this is clothing from ancient Rome. They're called togas. Rome was a great civilization thousands of years before my time. They were great thinkers and scientists and philosophers. And great warriors, too, I think." She scratched her head. "I never was very good at world history."

The monk shook his head. "No, I don't think I would enjoy that very much. What else is there?"

Kagome flipped some more pages until she found something else she liked. She showed the page to Miroku. "These men here, they're called policemen. Police are the people that maintain order. They're generally a symbol of structure and goodness. They ride around the city in cars or on bikes and make sure no one is doing anything bad. That's kind of like us, isn't it?" She smiled. "Plus, a lot of people in my time find policemen very sexy."

Miroku was looking at the picture of the policewoman. "I can see why. Do all policewomen wear such revealing tops like that?"

Kagome flipped the binder away from his view again. "Not usually no. A lot of girls like to be a little more risqué than normal for Halloween. But you don't need to see that." She flipped a few more pages. "A firefighter? No, too bulky. You could be something silly like some kind of animal. Wait, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea." She flipped some more pages. "Hmm. Oh, I know! How about this?" The page she showed him was of two men, one in light green and on in white. Both outfits were very simple. "These men are doctors. Like healers, only what they do is more exact and complicated, and deals only with a person's body, not spirit. Doctor's examine patients' bodies to make sure they are not ill in any way. They are taken very seriously, and are some of the most respected type of people in society because of how hard they have to work to do what they do, and because of how much good they do for people."

"What are those things around the doctor's necks?"

"Those? Those are stethoscopes. Doctors use them to listen to people's heartbeats."

Miroku studied the image closely. "How do they work?"

"You put those parts on this end into your ears, and this end over here goes on the chest of the patient, over their heart. It doesn't seem too complicated, but I have to admit I've never thought about how they work before."

Miroku nodded seriously. "Yes, I'll be a doctor. This outfit is what I want. And it comes with this stethoscope, yes? Good."

Kagome gave him a look. "I don't know if I trust you or not, but I'm glad you found a costume so fast. I'm really getting excited about this! I'm going to go find InuYasha! See you later, Miroku!"

As she ran off, Miroku smiled to himself. Maybe this would turn out to be fun after all.

End chapter 1. My plan is to finish this story before or on Halloween, so you won't have to wait long for updates. Thanks to David Lev, my beta-reader. 3 Love ya, punkin.


	2. Chapter 2

Epitome of Distraction: Chapter two! Cool! I know I said I wanted to have this entire story done by Halloween, but I don't think I'll be able to. There should only be another chapter or two left, so it will DEFINITELY be done by the end of this weekend. Sorry, ya'll, but my life is busy, etc. Oh, and I think you all know I don't own InuYasha.

**Bewitched**

**Chapter 2**

Under a gray sky, the trees surrounding the small village rustled and shook in the wind. Despite the clouds, it was surprisingly bright out. As Kagome walked threw the forest in search of her half-demon friend, she inwardly cursed her bare thighs and made a mental note to start wearing clothing that covered more. Kagome loved the forest. She loved the way the branches moved in a breeze, and the sound the leaves made when they did. Looking around, she savored the sight of leaves falling, floating daintily downward or spinning wildly into the ground. Clutching the binder she held closer to her chest for artificial warmth, she closed her eyes contentedly, breathing in the changing season.

CRASH!

She opened her eyes wide, body going tense. "What in the heck was that!?" she said aloud, surprise and little bit of fear in her voice. 'Is it a demon? Where is InuYasha!' Kagome charged ahead. 'Why didn't I bring my bow and arrows?' Another loud crash came from ahead of Kagome. 'That sounded like a tree breaking in half! Oh, InuYasha, please be okay.' She broke into a small clearing and saw a red flash of InuYasha's clothing. He had the Tetsusaiga in both hands, and he was attacking. Frantic, Kagome called to him, "InuYasha!"

In two bounds, the half-demon was in front of her, sheathing his weapon. An expression of fear and shock was on the schoolgirl's face. "Where's the demon?"

InuYasha raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What are you talking about? There isn't any demon around here."

Kagome looked behind InuYasha at the pile of destroyed trees. "But...I heard the crashing. And you had Tetsusaiga out."

He rolled his eyes and smirked. "Boy, are you stupid. I was just practicing with the Tetsusaiga. There wasn't anything to get worked up over. Geez, jump to conclusions."

"Hey! That isn't cool! I was actually worried about you! I can't believe you would call me stupid for assuming you attacking things meant there was a demon around! You're so insensitive!"

"You're overreacting! It's not my fault you can't even tell when there is or is not danger around."

A severe tic developed suddenly in Kagome's forehead as she squeezed her eyes shut tight and scowled. "Sit boy!"

InuYasha hit the ground face first. "Would you stop doing that!"

She crossed her arms. "I _was_ coming to talk to you about costumes for Halloween, but I don't really feel like doing that anymore. Your stupid attitude ruined that for you."

InuYasha pushed himself into a sitting position. "What makes you think I wanted to dress up like an idiot for your stupid holiday anyway? Not everyone likes making a fool of themselves like you do."

"Sit!" Kagome grabbed the binder from where she had dropped it and turned on her heel. "Sit, sit, sit, sit!" Ignoring the cries of pain from behind her, she walked briskly away. "Doesn't want to dress up like an idiot, does he?" she grumbled to herself as she stormed away. "Fine. He's going to dress up whether he likes it or not. And I know the perfect costume for him. It'll fit him perfectly, the jerk. _'Not everyone likes making a fool of themselves, Kagome.' _Ooh! He makes me so mad!"

She continued like this all the way back to the village, stomping to Kaede's hut. Shippo was already in there, drawing with his crayons. "Hey Kagome! Look at my picture!" He showed her a picture of what looked like himself wearing InuYasha's clothing and holding a giant sword. "It's a picture of me on Halloween. See? Cuz you said that we got to be someone else for the day. So I want to be InuYasha."

Kagome plopped onto the ground next to the young demon in a huff. "You don't want to be that meanie."

Shippo put his paper and crayon down. "Uh oh. Did you two have a fight again? Please don't get back home! I wanted to do Halloween with you!"

The schoolgirl tried her best to smile for his sake. "I'm not going to miss out on Halloween just because of that idiot. No way! I do need to go home, though, but only to pick up all the supplies for Halloween. I need time to get the costumes and everything. And I'll bring back a pumpkin for you to carve, too, okay?"

Shippo looked up at her with big eyes. "Aren't you forgetting about something?"

She thought about it. "Um, I don't think so? Am I?"

"Candy! You didn't mention bringing back my candy! You _can't_ forget the candy!"

Kagome laughed. "No, I won't forget the candy. I promise." She pushed the binder towards him. "In the back are all of the child-sized costumes. Why don't you look through that and find something you like?"

- - - - - - - - - -

Eventually, Kagome managed to get back to her era. She had dumped all of the supplies she could have out of her bag into a corner in Kaede's hut, so sh would have more room in her backpack for the costumes, candy, and pumpkin. Her pace was fast. She was still mad at InuYasha, the idiot. She was _just_ trying to have fun with her friends, and he had to go insulting her and ruining her plans. Figures. That's what he always does. She smirked. She'd get him back when she forced him to wear a clown costume. Big poofy colorful wig, over-sized spotted bow-tie on a striped "suit". And to top it off, a bouquet of flowers that shot water when you held the bottom tightly. She wouldn't tel him about that last feature. Secretly, she hoped he would spray himself with the water. That clown costume would teach him for being such an ass to her. Walking into a local costume and decorations store, Kagome was oblivious to the surreptitious character following her from a distance.

- - - - - - - - - -

The figure in red started at the jingle of the bell as he cautiously pushed the door of the costume shop open. His shoulders tensed at all the people around him, the strange new smells, and the too-bright lighting that was in every building around here. InuYasha's ears twitched. He had waited outside for Kagome to be done shopping, where he had planned to grab her as soon as she exited the building and forcefully drag her back to the _right_ era for her to be in. That plan had dissolved when she actually came out of the store. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to go down there and confront her.

InuYasha suspiciously looked around the room. There was an almost overwhelming smell of machinery and rubber in here. So much of this era smalled like that. If it wasn't for the small, InuYasha would have thought this was some evil demon's lair. On one wall was a large display of hair – whole heads of hair – without the heads. Next to that were the heads themselves, but they didn't look human. They were limp and utterly lifeless. It looked like it was just the skin hanging there. Above all this on the wall were the words "Wigs and Masks." InuYasha didn't understand. There were strange outfits on the walls as well. One piece of clothing InuYasha recognized as what Kagome had called an "angel".

A young smiling man came up to a leery InuYasha. "Can I help you find something" he asked. "I see you're looking at our costumes. Is there something in particular that you're looking for?"

InuYasha didn't know what to say. His mouth opened a little bit. "Costumes?" he said.

The man smiled. "How about I show you what we have.

He took InuYasha around the store, pointing out all sorts of different outfits, make-ups, masks, and more. Vampires, ninjas, Spiderman – InuYasha bristled when he saw that costume, thinking of the spider mark on Naraku's back – , vikings, robots, werewolves, and so many other things that held no meaning in InuYasha's mind. Then, the young man brought InuYasha to a display. The half-demon stared at the cardboard cut-out in front of him. "Who's that?" he demanded, pointing.

"You don't know who James Bond is?" Oh, he's famous. He travels around the world and thwarts badguys. Lots of guns, action, explosions, and sex. It's great."

InuYasha nodded. "He's a real man. I can tell. He looks like a warrior."

The store worker nodded. "Doesn't really fit with your current look –" He glanced at InuYasha's ears. "– but it's a good choice. Let's get you fitted for the costume."

InuYasha followed the man into the back, saying as he went, "So tell me more about this James Bond guy..."

- - - - - - - - - -

With a contented sigh, Kagome sank deeper into the hot water of her bubble-bath. It had been a long day, and she was greatly enjoying this relaxation time. After she had finished getting the costumes, she had gone to the grocery store for some pumpkins and candy, stopped by her school to talk with her teachers about missed work, and picked up some "extra stuff" for Sango's outfit that she had requested. Why did it feel like running errands was more exerting than fighting demons? It was still fairly early in the day. She'd go back after her bath. She had time.

An hour later, Kagome walked though the little village that had become a second home to her. Sango, Shippo, and Kirara were sitting on a grassy patch of ground, playing some sort of game that involved sticks and a bouncy ball Kagome had given Shippo. "Hey guys! How's it going?" the smiling schoolgirl asked.

Shippo jumped up "Kagome! Did you bring me candy?"

"I _might_ have candy. But it's not for today. You'll have to wait until tomorrow, Halloween!" She unslung her pack from off back a few pumpkins to carve!" She hauled one out to prove her words. "They aren't very big, but I did have to lug them over here by myself."

Shippo sniffed the pumpkin experimentally. "Do you eat it?"

"Haha. No, you don't eat it."

Sango looked at Kagome with a smile. "Yes, Kagome, what do you do with it?"

Kagome pulled a permanent marker from her bag. "Here, I'll show you." She quickly drew two triangular eyes and a toothy mouth onto the gourd. "See? And then you would carve that out and put a candle in it, and at night it lights up and looks really cool. You guys want to try it?"

"Sounds like fun, doesn't it Shippo," Sango said.

Shippo clapped his hands. "Yeah! I love to draw! This will be fun too!"

Kagome pulled another pumpkin from her bag and set it in front of Shippo. "You are really creative, Shippo. Let's get started on the messy part!"

- - - - - - - - - -

The sun was setting when Kagome, Sango, and Shippo finally put the candles in their jack-o-lanterns. The sound of footsteps behind the kneeling group made them turn around. Miroku stood behind them, admiring the glowing pumpkins. They turned around to greet him. "Hey Miroku!" Shippo said excitedly. "Do you like my jack-o-lantern? I put it those teeth to make it extra scary-looking!"

Miroku smiled, "It looks very scary indeed. I've defeated demons less frightening, I'm sure."

Shippo grinned widely at the compliment. Kagome picked up the bowl of pumpkin innards and said, "Boy, I'm hungry. I've got a few lunch boxes my mom gave me. Who's ready for dinner?"

Everyone agreed heartily. Kagome handed the bowl of pumpkin to Sango and picked up her backpack. "Miroku, where's InuYasha? I'm sure he'll be hungry too."

Miroku gave her an inquisitive look. "He went to your era shortly after you had returned there. I haven't seen him since. Are you to tell me that he was not with you?"

"InuYasha followed me? I didn't see him at all today. He must have meant to bring me back here after that fight we had."

Miroku and Sango both looked mildly surprised. "You two had a fight today?" Sango asked. "You didn't mention it."

They started walking, carrying their pumpkins with them, toward Kaede's hut. "No, it kind of slipped my mind," she responded. "It wasn't that big of a fight. He was just mean to me about my Halloween idea, and I got mad. I'm still a little angry that he was such a jerk, but it's okay. I have a great way to get back at him." She smiled.

They got to Kaede's quickly and, after setting up their pumpkins, washed their hands (or in Shippo's case, arms and face) in the bucket of water, and began preparing dinner. Near the end of a dinner of sushi and soda, InuYasha walked in, holding a large plastic bag. The group looked up at his entry.

"Ah, good evening, InuYasha. We were starting to think you wouldn't be returning." Miroku wore his casual smirk.

Kagome was eying the bag. "What do you have, InuYasha?"

"None of your business, woman." He was stony-faced.

She pointed to the bag in InuYasha's hand. "You bought something. You don't have any money from my time. Did you steal money from me?" She sounded untrusting and hurt.

Defensively, InuYasha countered, "Of course I didn't steal from you! What kind of person do you think I am!?"

"Then were did you get money?"

"I told you, it's none of your damn business!"

Kagome stood up angrily. "What were you doing in my era? You always get into trouble somehow. And you won't even tell me what you were doing or how you were able to do it. You are so infuriating!"

Sango leaned over to Miroku. "That didn't take long, did it?"

The monk shook his head sagely. "They do seem to argue a lot, don't they? I wonder sometimes if it's just their teenage hormones. They can't get what they really want, so they do this instead."

"I would normally smack you for such a vulgar suggestion, but I can't help but agree with."

They turned their attention back to a screaming InuYasha. "I was wanting to leave this in here so it wouldn't be outside overnight, but I think I'd rather have it with me, so I know a certain nosy wench isn't snooping through my things!" He turned on his heel and jumped out. Kagome plopped back down in a huff.

"Can you believe that guy?" she said to no one in particular.

Miroku stood up. "I should probably take InuYasha some food." He picked up a lunchbox and a bag of potato chips.

Shippo jumped on his shoulder. "I'll come with you, Miroku."

When they were alone, Sango said to Kagome, "Men are frustrating."

Kagome sighed. "Yeah. But mainly just this one. Stupid InuYasha." She brightened. "That reminds me. Sango, I got that stuff for you. Your costume, and the rest. Do you want to try it on?"

Sango smiled. "Absolutely."

Kagome dug through her bag and found what she was looking for. She handed it all over to Sango.

As Sango was changing, Kagome was quiet. Finally, hesitantly, she said, "I'm sorry about me fighting. I didn't mean to ruin the evening for you and the others. I hope it didn't change your mind about...whatever it is you're planning for this stuff I got you."

Sango blushed. "I'm not planning anything. I just, I just wanted to look good. I wanted to feel like a girl. Like someone other than a warrior." Kagome was looking at her intently. "I know it's stupid and vain, but I wanted to feel rich, like a princess. It is Halloween. You said yourself, you're supposed to dress up to be someone you don't get to be otherwise." She looked at the ground. "I feel foolish."

"No, don't! It's a reasonable thing to feel. I completely understand. Why do you think I wear my school uniform to fight demons? I need to feel some kind of connection to my world, some kind of normalcy in my life. It's silly, but everyone needs to feel things sometimes. Don't feel foolish."

There was a knock at the door. Miroku's muffled voice came from behind it. "Why is the door locked? Can I come in to sleep or not?"

Sango and Kagome looked at the outfit Sango was wearing and giggled, the demon-slayer more nervously than Kagome. "One second, Miroku! We're, uh, changing. We'll let you in in just a moment."

"You're changing? In that case I demand entrance at once!" Sango kicked the door.

"In one moment, Houshi-sama, you pervert!"

Kagome smiled. She may still have been mad at InuYasha, but she was getting very excited about the next day.


End file.
